Rothwell’s Bar & Grill

Rothwell’s is the restaurant Dan Clark wants to dine in. The 1889 Enoteca co-owner’s bar and grill – which sits inside the old Jamie’s Italian space in the CBD – pays tribute to egalitarian dining and old-school service, with business partner (and former Aria Brisbane head chef) Ben Russell in the kitchen preparing a Eurocentric menu anchored in French techniques.

For starters, you might order chicken liver parfait with cornichons and toasted brioche; beetroot with radish, walnuts and goat’s curd; or a classic caesar salad. Mains might include duck cassoulet with confit leg, Toulouse sausage, pork belly and white beans; roasted lamb with braised lentils, feta and black olive.

There’s also a straightforward selection of pastas, and a grill section with various cuts of beef. For those dropping by, a casual bar menu offers plates of oysters, salad niçoise, a club sandwich and a fancy cheeseburger. The real stars of the menu? The seafood platter and 600-gram beef Wellington served with red wine sauce (both are designed to share).

Wine plays a central role in the experience, with a 350-bottle list tapping French regions such as Burgundy, Loire Valley, the Languedoc and Champagne, as well as classic Australian and Italian varietals. Cocktails dabble in classic territory, but there’s also an Armagnac cart with bottles dating back to 1931.

Parked in the ground floor of the heritage-listed Rothwells Building, the space is split into a front bar, a dining room arranged around marble tables and an enormous marble raw bar. Original timber and tile floors are complemented by sumptuous green leather booths, towering mirrored walls, and vintage lighting that includes an enormous chandelier.